美国国家公共电台 NPR Hollywood Diversity Study Finds 'Mixed Bag' When It Comes To Representation

 

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The box office success of "Black Panther" is no surprise to UCLA sociologist¹ Darnell Hunt. His annual report on Hollywood diversity is out today, and it shows that diverse casts and creators are just good business. Here's NPR's Mandalit del Barco.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE²: Darnell Hunt says "Black Panther" has smashed³ the old myth⁴ that films with black actors don't do well.

DARNELL HUNT: It's an example of what can be done if the industry is true to the nature of the market. That is to say, America's about 40 percent people of color now, and it's becoming a half a percent more diverse every year. And that tracks onto what's happening around the globe. So if Hollywood positioned itself to take advantage of those demographic realities, box office numbers are going to increase and the industry as a whole is going to flourish.

DEL BARCO: Hunt says it's too soon to tell if "Black Panther" will change industry practices or if it's an outlier, like the Oscar-winning film "12 Years A Slave" was. Hunt's team at UCLA found that people of color bought the majority of movie tickets for five of the top 10 films in 2016. Television shows with diverse casts also did well in both ratings⁵ and social media during the 2015-'16 seasons. Hunt's team has been crunching⁶ the Hollywood numbers every year since 2011. Their latest annual report is subtitled, "Five Years Of Progress And Missed Opportunities." They found people of color remained underrepresented as film leads, directors and writers. The same for broadcast, scripted and reality TV series on cable and digital, too. They found that African-Americans fared better than Asian-Americans and Latinos and Native Americans, who are nearly invisible on the big and small screens. And, despite making up more than half the population, women also remain underrepresented, especially as film directors, where they're outnumbered 7 to 1.

(SOUNDBITE OF INTRO MUSIC, "EMPIRE")

DEL BARCO: Hunt says there are a few bright spots. Broadcast television, with shows like "Empire," and "The Walking Dead" and children's TV series that reflect today's demographics.

HUNT: Most babies born in America today are not white. So if you look at children's programming, it's unmistakable that you must have diversity. Otherwise, the show fails. It's simple as that.

DEL BARCO: Hunt says Hollywood needs to get its act together for people of color and women if for no other reason than the bottom line. Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.

1 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 smashed   

adj.喝醉酒的v.打碎，捣烂( smash的过去式和过去分词 )；捣毁；重击；撞毁（车辆）

参考例句：

• Several windows had been smashed. 几扇窗户劈里啪啦打碎了。
• In time-honoured tradition, a bottle of champagne was smashed on the ship. 依照由来已久的传统，对着船摔了一瓶香槟。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 myth   

n.神话，神话故事

参考例句：

• The story has points of resemblance to a Hebrew myth.这个故事与某个希伯来神话有相似之处。
• The story is a pure myth.这故事纯属虚构。

5 ratings   

n.等级( rating的名词复数 )；收视率；表示电影分级的数字（或字母）；（海军）水兵

参考例句：

• He won high ratings [marks] in all his examinations. 他所有的考试都获得高分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The boat was operated by two naval ratings in dress whites. 船由两个穿着白色礼服的水兵驾驶。 来自辞典例句

6 crunching   

v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄

参考例句：

• The horses were crunching their straw at their manger. 这些马在嘎吱嘎吱地吃槽里的草。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog was crunching a bone. 狗正嘎吱嘎吱地嚼骨头。 来自《简明英汉词典》